While you might be connected, at least reported by the netgear software, at 85mbps, I can virtually assure you the throughput is not even half that.

One has to use something like ixchariot, to actually test the sustained or even burst throughput. I'm using the latest netgears, which say they are connected at 200MBs, but I get the 40+ posted above.

Is that nearly 10x, what the previous generation yielded, yep as sure as butterscotch topping on ice cream is goooodd!

As for the devices, I believe they are ALL created by ONE company in Asia (of course) and all branded differantly, which some slight differances in functionality and software, but for the most part the SW is the same for all devices, dlink, belkin, netgear, slinglink, all of which I have.

As for throughput, you might do best setting up the QOS, to prioritize any video traffic, which can be setup at the device level, via the software. As well, lights and other electrical traffic, devices on the network will either slow performance or make the sustained throughput, lumpy!

I could imagine that a good 802.11g, or N network, could have better video streaming capability. I know the latest HD netgears, do work better for my HD PRO slingbox, but since that streams, and bufffers, at 8mbs, I probably don't see a differance, not choppy, great quality, since the buffer catches the lumps in the streams.